Care home hero award in honour of pensioner Bob
A search for care home heroes is being launched by an East Lothian charity in the memory of a pensioner who made headlines after he was forced to choose between his beloved dog and care.
Bob Harvey and his dog Darcie were told they would have to leave the pet-friendly care home they had moved into with Bob’s late wife Margaret after a new owner took over.
The Bob Harvey Award, which was created by Ormiston-based charity Fostering Compassion and the Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS), now awards care facilities which go above and beyond to support the bond between people and their pet companions. And nominations for this year’s award are open on Fostering Compassion’s website.
Lesley Winton, founder of Fostering Compassion, was involved with Bob’s case helping raise awareness of his plight and funds to help him move into a private rental home with Darcie. Bob and his wife moved into a Borders care home with Darcie after Margaret developed dementia.
However following Margaret’s death a new management team at the home decided Darcie could no longer stay and gave Bob the choice of remaining alone or finding somewhere else to live.
More than 300,000 people signed a petition calling for Bob and Darcie to remain together at the home but they refused to change their position and at the age of 87, Bob had to move out of the home with Darcie, into a bungalow in the North of England.
Bob passed away in 2019 at the age of 90 and Darcie, who was 14, went to live with family friends before he also lost his life some months later. Lesley said the Bob Harvey award kept the memory of what happened to him alive while commending those who go the extra mile.
She said: “Very often, an animal may be the only reason an older person wants to carry on and the strength of this bond must be recognised and wherever possible, protected.”
Nomination forms for the award are available on the website and can be found at www.fosteringcompassion.org/connect-withcompassion/bob-anddarcie-fund.
Very often, an animal may be the only reason an older person wants to carry on and the strength of this bond must be recognised